Many of us, as we consider the shooting death of Michael Brown and the aftermath in Ferguson, Mo., think of it as a matter of law and order.

Race, of course, has been the overriding issue so far, but already we have seen debates over the militarization of police forces among other discussions about the relations between citizens and those sworn to serve and protect them.

What has happened in the St. Louis suburb has much broader implications, however, for the economic and fiscal well-being of cities, counties and states across the nation. St. Louis County and Marion County share some traits, but also have some important differences.

The question from an economic and public policy perspective, then, is how do we capitalize on the traits that set us apart?

Last week the Brookings Institution cited Ferguson as emblematic what it called growing suburban poverty. The self-proclaimed nonpartisan research institute has a reputation among liberals for trending conservative and among conservatives for being liberal, so I find its research useful.

The Brookings report put numbers to media accounts that Ferguson's population has shifted from 85 percent white in 1980 to 67 percent black in 2008. The report also noted the town of 21,000 within St. Louis County suffers persistently high unemployment rates since the recession.

Unemployment for the town due East of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport was just 5 percent in 2000; it has been more than 13 percent since 2010. Moreover, those who are employed have less buying power. Their inflation-adjusted average earnings fell by one-third in the century's first decade.

It is no surprise, then, the number of those in poverty in Ferguson has increased dramatically. About one-fourth of the town's residents lived below the federal poverty line, which is $23,492 a year for a family of four in 2012. The rate of poverty in Ferguson doubled since 2000.

"As dramatic as the growth in economic disadvantage has been in this community," the Brookings report stated, "Ferguson is not alone."

The rate of poverty in suburban neighborhoods where more than 20 percent of the residents live below the poverty line doubled between 2000 and 2012, according to the report.

Another characteristic of suburban areas with increasing poverty: small and fragmented communities. There are 91 jurisdictions in St. Louis County, Mo. "This often translates into inadequate resources and capacity to respond to growing needs and can complicate efforts to connect residents with economic opportunities that offer a path out of poverty," according to the Brookings report.

"Many of these changing suburban communities are home to out-of-step power structures, where the leadership class, including the police force, does not reflect the rapid demographic changes that have reshaped these places," the report noted. None of this means there are 1,000 Fergusons-in-waiting, but it should underscore the fact that there are a growing number of communities across the country facing similar, if quieter, deep challenges every day."

What about Indianapolis and Central Indiana?

The unemployment rate continues its downward trend here, falling nearly 1.5 points in the last year. And income distribution in Central Indiana is among the most equitable in the nation, according to an Indiana Business Research Center report authored by director Jerry Conover at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

While Boone County is among the top 20 percent in income disparity in the nation and Marion County checks in one level below that, the remaining counties have much more equitable income distribution.

Even though the number of lower income Hoosiers in Central Indiana is roughly the same as those with higher incomes, another study identified a troubling trend. Upper income households here are gaining at a much faster rate than lower income households, according to an IHS Global Insight report for the U.S. Conference of Mayors released this month. Indiana is among the states where the gap is increasing the fastest

"There is no sign in recent data that this trend has slowed, and our economic models project a further drift toward inequality in upcoming years," the report concludes. "Unless we develop policies to effectively mitigate these trends, income inequality will continue to grow larger in the future."

Lower incomes mean less economic activity and that means the state's ability to generate tax revenue to provide amenities and services is diminished. The trends are not promising and it's hard to reverse them when local governments compete with each other for jobs rather than cooperating to increase the number and quality of available jobs.

Economic opportunity is a critical path toward mitigating the problems we've seen in Ferguson recently and alleviate the specter of similar problems anywhere else in the nation.

Now is a good time for a dose of optimism. Columbus, Ind., leads the nation in the growth of income among those at the low end of the scale, according to the IHS Global Insight report. It helps that Central Indiana has fewer rings of government to work through than greater St. Louis and the locals here have shown an increased willingness to cooperate. Witness the group of area mayors who regularly meet to find common ground.

Internal competition stifles economic momentum and can contribute to a series of consequences that lead to destruction. Can we manage cooperation?

John Ketzenberger is president of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization to research state budget and tax issues. Email him at jketzenberger@indianafiscal.org. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnKetz.